1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is that of devices and apparatus used for emergency medical care and is more particularly directed to devices used to immobilize accident victims during transit to a hospital.
2. Introduction and Description of Related Art
When a person receives a traumatic injury from an automobile accident or similar mishap, the person's survival often depends on rapid attention from emergency medical personnel followed by immediate transfer to a properly equipped hospital. The emergency medical personnel who are first at the scene of the accident are responsible for treating any immediately life-threatening injuries and for stabilizing the patient for immediate transport to the hospital. One of the most vexing problems faced by these workers is that of neck and back injuries to the victim. Without an x-ray it is often impossible to determine the extent, if any, of the damage. If the spine is damaged, the very act of moving the patient may exacerbate the problem and lead to more extensive spinal injury. There has been some controversy over the best way to treat these injuries prior to transport. Some authorities recommended immobilizing the neck and back in the orientation in which the patient was found. Other authorities favored moving the patient into a neutral position prior to immobilization. Today most practitioners follow the second option and immobilize the patient in a neutral position.
A number of devices and procedures have been developed to immobilize accident victims in a neutral position and allow transport with little or no danger of causing additional spinal damage. The common factor in most of these devices is the simple expedient of firmly attaching the patient to the surface of an stiff, inflexible "board" (backboard) which acts as a stretcher to allow the patient to be carried without allowing any flexing of the patients potentially injured back and neck. Because the patient's neck is so commonly injured in automobile accidents special attention is paid to immobilizing this particularly fragile portion of human anatomy.
Typical of the many immobilizing devices is the Cervical Immobilizer shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,994 to Bashaw. This device consists of two rectangular head blocks attached together by a flexible band rather like ear muffs. These blocks are equipped with hook in loop fastening material (e.g., VELCRO.RTM.) to removably attach the blocks to a base unit which is attached to patient support board (backboard) with a number of adjustable hooks and straps. After the base unit it located beneath the patient's head, the two head blocks are located on either side of the patent's head to immobilize it. The flexible band between the blocks contacts the top of the patients head an while additional forehead strap and chin strap can be added to further immobilize the patient's head. One drawback of the large rectangular blocks of this device are that they obscure the patient's ears so that they cannot be readily examined for signs of bleeding and other signs of internal brain injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,712 to Bowlin et al. solves part of this problem by providing openings through the head blocks so that the patient's ears can be readily examined. This device further has a stretchable base pad which is stretchingly fit to the backboard, thereby obviating the need for various hooks and other attachment devices. After the head blocks are positioned to immobilize the patient's head, they are locked down by straps that are attached to the base pad and pass over the head blocks from one side to the other.
Another version of this type of head immobilizer is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,766 to Durham which teaches a main board attached to a backboard by means of straps. Head restraining blocks are fixable to the main board by means of a hook in loop fastener system. The straps that stabilize the main board also restrain the patient's head. The blocks are of low profile leaving the patient's ears exposed for ready medical examination.
The prior art also teaches a number of other variations of head supporting blocks. There are a number of devices intended to simplify the restraint systems even further and greatly reduce the overall bulk. Generally, these systems employ cardboard or some similar material to provide disposable restraint systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,754 to Honeywell et al. discloses a device in which cardboard strips are folded to form a hollow triangular head support. U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,185 to Garth et al. discloses a rather minimalist restraint system where a cardboard foundation portion is attached to a backboard and supports a U-shaped cardboard piece that surrounds and supports the patient's head.
The prior art devices range from overly complex devices that require considerable manipulation to engage straps, etc. to very simple cardboard devices that may not provide adequate rigidity and support. The present invention aims to provide an inexpensive and simple device that is easy to use and yet provides exemplary head support and cervical rigidity.